Bound and Determined
by fuzzytomato
Summary: When Sokka’s guilt over Suki pushes him into action, he enlists help from an unlikely source - Zuko. With Toph along for the ride, the three embark on an adventure, and redefine the ties that bind them. Chapter 3 up.
1. Prologue

Title: Bound and Determined

By fuzzytomato

Disclaimer: Yep, I own it. Own it all. That's why season three is taking sooo very long. /sarcasm. Seriously, don't own it, making no profit. Please don't sue.

Tagline: When Sokka's guilt over Suki pushes him into action, he enlists help from an unlikely source - Zuko. With Toph along for the ride, the three embark on an adventure, and redefine the ties that bind them.

OOO

By the light of the moon streaming in the barred window several feet overhead, a girl raised her weary hand, the weight of her shackles pulling on her tired limbs. With grubby, trembling fingers, she placed the sharp rock against the metal cell wall and despite the small shriek of resistance, pulled it forcefully down, leaving a scratch, a mark, a witness to yet another day she had endured. Satisfied with her work, she allowed the stone to fall, with hopes she would use it again the next evening, and she crawled across the filth to her sleeping mat. Another day she had survived, another small victory, and as she lay down her head, dreams of a blue-eyed boy within her reach in the encompassing darkness of the prison cell, she closed her eyes.

OOO

He opened his amber eyes, turned his head on his pillow and stared at the picture propped on the table beside him. Despite protests from his fatigued muscles, he reached for it while sitting up and by the light of the moon studied the careful lines of ink on parchment that formed the impression of his uncle, his _father_, and hoped, yearned for forgiveness. The image blurred beneath his gaze as salty tears gathered in one eye, streaked down one cheek, and the boy angrily scrubbed them away before they could fall and ruin the picture in his hand. Placing it tenderly back in its resting place, he lay on his mat, his past failures replaying in his head, unable to sleep.

OOO

Bare feet flat against stone, sleep elusive, the girl felt the familiar vibrations of her companions through the rock, counted their heartbeats, measured their breathing, as she sat near the courtyard fountain unaware of the long shadows cast by the ancient carvings beneath the moonlight. One, two, three, four peacefully asleep in their rooms, one in the throes of a nightmare, one on the edge of sleep, tossing, turning and one, she turned her head to the other end of the courtyard, sitting on a precipice talking to the moon. She couldn't hear the conversation, but she could feel the quaking of his voice, the weariness of his posture and wondered what the moon offered in her companionship that the rest of them did not.

OOO

He rode in silence, the ostrich-horse thundering beneath him his only companion, as he navigated the small worn path toward the town, moonbeams his guide. Slowing his mount as he neared the outskirts of the village, the sounds of the forest night giving way to the sounds of a raucous nighttime town, his sharp eyes scanned the streets and upon finding the building he was looking for, pulled the ostrich-horse to a full stop. Dismounting, he reached into his saddlebags and pulled out the lone object he would need. Flipping the circular tile in his hand, he allowed it to dance along the tops of his fingers in a halting rhythm, flashing its symbol of a white flower as he hummed.

OOO

He sat, leaning against the stone, fiddling with an unraveling blue thread of his shirt, seeking solace in her light. He talked of anything and everything, of Aang learning firebending, Haru and his mustache, Toph's healing feet, Katara's issues with Zuko but skirted around the real reason he couldn't sleep, the hurt that resided in his chest, the guilt that weighed on him every minute of every day. Once he had run out of the mundane, he gave a sorrowful sigh and looked up with wide eyes and uttered the sentence that had been burning in him since they had fled the Fire Nation on the day of the eclipse.

"I failed."

OOO

A/N: So, here we are again my friends. fuzzytomato has officially lost her mind and has decided to write a new Sokka and Zuko buddy adventure. But this time, I'm branching out and adding Toph! Wooohooo! And starting as usual with my choppy prologue style.

And as usual, action will build as chapters progress. (For those not familiar with my style of writing, please go read Brothers in Arms) Probably won't be updated as quickly, or be as long, but will hopefully include much of the interaction you know and love from my two favorite boys.

So please, drop me a line, and don't forget to tell me what you think.

Thanks!


	2. Ch1: Collision

A/N: (Fanfic dot net is having some weird technical difficulties. Ignore any text above the author's note. Thanks)

A/N: Just in case it wasn't clear in the prologue, there will be spoilers for WAT and FBM.

Chapter 1: Collision

He rolled over with a tired groan, clutching his pillow beneath his head, black hair in disarray. It felt like only a few moments ago that he had finally given into sleep and yet his body was telling him it was time to rise. Grasping the thin blanket draped over his frame, he brought it up over his head and tried to burrow further into the mattress in one last attempt to ignore his internal clock. Moments later, he was still awake and with a frustrated sigh, shoved off the blanket and cracked open one golden eye.

Then shot straight up in bed.

Rays of sunlight poured into his window, indicating that it was already mid-morning, well past his normal waking time. Apparently, his internal clock was a little late.

Zuko gasped and mentally berated himself as he disentangled his limbs from the blanket, pushed his body out of bed, and scrambled to his feet. For the past week, he had been fierce in his teachings, regimented, determined. He had harped to Aang about the importance of morning meditation, insisted on training while the sun rose in the sky in order for the boy to better understand and feel the connection between Agni and his inner fire. He had staunchly adhered to an almost cruel schedule of meditation, training and practice.

And here he was, jumping up and down on one foot, trying to pull on his boot while roughly tugging on clothes, avoiding being incapacitated by furniture, exhausted, annoyed and feeling like the biggest hypocrite in the world because he had overslept. Raking his fingers through his hair in one last desperate effort to not look too disheveled, he flung open his door hard enough for it to bounce off the opposing wall, and barreled into the hallway.

He registered a flash of blue, a hard body, a series of colorful curses, before flailing, then falling and landing in a heap of jumbled limbs.

"Ow! Get off of me!" Sokka yelled though his voice was muffled by being pinned to the stone floor. He squirmed beneath the other boy's weight and used his hands, elbows, knees, to push him off.

Zuko was off balance before he had collided with the Water Tribe warrior and now with being pushed in one direction, slipping in another, and with flashing lights in his vision from where his forehead had connected with Sokka's bony shoulder, he was struggling.

"I'm trying! If you would stop pushing, maybe I could."

"Get your knee out of my ribs!"

"Get your elbow out of my face!"

With a few more grunts, a couple more demands and one last violent shove, they were able to extricate themselves from one another. Zuko sat on the ground, knees pulled to his chest, Sokka across from him, looking as fatigued as the firebender felt.

"What are you doing?" Sokka asked heatedly, getting to his feet, ignoring the protests of sore joints and inevitable bruises.

Zuko allowed his head to fall back against the wall with a thud. "I'm late," he stated simply.

"Well that doesn't give you the right to plow down the hall like a komodo-rhino."

Zuko stood, using the wall for support, and gingerly touched the sore spot on his forehead, wincing. "Yeah, you weren't exactly crawling along like a Koala-pillar either!"

Sokka's expression darkened, his emotions in turmoil, his nerves on edge from his own lack of sleep, and though Zuko was not the direct cause of his ire, he just happened to be the one standing there.

"Just stay out of my way, jerkbender."

And with that he turned and stalked down the corridor.

Zuko swallowed the scathing retort that was bubbling in his throat and instead opted for leveling a glare at the blue fabric of Sokka's back before letting out a weary sigh. He knew they didn't trust him but the open antagonism was beginning to wear on his resolve. At least Aang and Toph were cordial, and on most days the others tolerated him, but Katara, the waterbending master, was overtly hostile, and Zuko was not looking forward to walking outside.

He had carefully constructed his schedule to remain as unobtrusive as possible, waking before everyone else, stealing off during the day to train Aang, only gathering at meal times but even then, staying on the outskirts and as quiet as possible. It was his routine and it had worked well for the short amount of time he had been with them, but today it was horribly off.

He waited a few moments before following, hoping to avoid any other collisions, physical or otherwise. Adjusting his clothes to give some semblance of neatness, he marched down the shadowed hallway and into the fountain courtyard.

He squinted against the brilliance of the rising sun and threw up a hand to shield his eyes before taking in his surroundings. Just as he expected, breakfast was over, and he watched with an aching stomach as Katara bended the water from the now clean dishes. Sokka sat on the ground, legs crossed, head down, bringing the last of the food to his lips ignoring the antics of Aang, Momo and the Duke. Haru and Teo were bent over some new contraption while Toph laid spread on the ground, covered in a healthy coating of dirt, idly picking her toes.

Not wanting to draw any undue attention, he stealthily walked past the supplies, grabbed a mango, and thought of ways to get Aang to look his way in order to sneak off and start training. He made it two steps before her voice stopped him.

"I thought firebenders rose with the sun," the taunt sliced through the air, interrupting all activity.

Everyone looked up and Zuko froze, the mango halfway to his mouth. Slowly, he turned around and found himself under the fierce blue glower of Katara.

"Or was that only when you were trying to capture Aang?"

Zuko flinched. He should've been used to her barbs by now, after all they had been a constant for the past week, but they still rendered him speechless more often than not and the times he actually did respond only added fuel to her fire. He closed his mouth, then opened it again, and closed it with a snap, mind working furiously as to what to do, how to respond. He was saved from having to make a decision by Toph.

"Oh, give it a rest, Sugar Queen," the earthbender sighed. "The bitter suspicious act is getting old."

If anyone hadn't been paying attention before, they certainly were now, and the sudden silence was deafening.

"What did you say?"

Toph lifted her head and turned her sightless, misted eyes toward Katara's voice. "You heard me. Cut him some slack. He didn't sleep well."

Zuko's eyes widened and he almost dropped his mango at the statement.

"How do you know that?" Katara asked, beating Zuko to the question.

"The same way I know that Aang was having a nightmare and that you were snoring!"

"I do not snore," she shot back.

"At first I thought we were being attacked by an angry moose-lion, then I thought Appa had something stuck in his throat..."

"Toph!" Katara reddened. "This isn't about me. It's about him," she said, pointing an accusing finger in Zuko's direction. "You're here to teach Aang firebending. This isn't some fun vacation where you get to sleep in and learn dragon dances."

"Oh no, this is definitely all about having fun," Toph interjected sarcastically, "and this wouldn't be the first time we've been out dancing."

Katara ignored the sharp comments coming from the ground, instead crossed her arms and pinned the prince with an icy stare.

Zuko felt his calm façade beginning to crack despite trying everything in his power to calm his racing heart and quell his rising indignation. His fingers dug into the sweet flesh of the fruit in his hand, and he could begin to smell the smoke undoubtedly curling out of his clenched hands.

"You don't think I know that," he hissed, voice low and dangerous. "You don't think I know how important it is that Aang is fully prepared when he faces Ozai." He took a step forward and he noticed with satisfaction that she took a step back.

"Katara," Aang started, stepping in between them before the argument could escalate any further, "Zuko and I have been training nonstop for several days now. I don't think there is any harm in taking a day off. In fact, I think it would be good for all of us to take a day."

Aang swept the crowd with a glance and noticed all the tense faces staring back at him.

"We could even do something fun."

Toph flopped back down in the dirt kicking up a cloud of dust. "You'll get no complaints from me, Twinkletoes."

"That sounds like a great idea," Haru chimed, hoping to help defuse the situation.

"What do you think, Sokka?" Aang asked, trying to get support from the older boy. "Do you think you could come up with a fun idea?"

For the first time, Sokka looked up from his bowl, having virtually ignored the chaos around him. His usually bright eyes dimmed, he looked at Aang, then the others taking in the situation, the obvious strain and frowned. With a frustrated grunt, he stood, dropping the chipped earthenware in the dust.

"Figure it out yourselves," he said before brushing past Zuko, Aang and Katara.

"Oh good job, Zuko. Now, you've upset Sokka!" Katara huffed, gesturing to the lone figure retreating in the distance.

The mango in Zuko's hand burst, covering his fingers and the ground with squishy pulp. "I haven't done anything!" He yelled, flinging fruity mush. "He's been like that for days!"

"He's right, Sugar Queen. Snoozles hasn't been snoozing."

The Duke picked up the almost full bowl of breakfast and looked into it. "Or eating."

Katara took the bowl offered by the smallest member of their group and scowled.

She gave Zuko another nasty look. "Well, I'm sure it's something you did," she snapped at the firebender. "And I'm going to go find out."

She strode out of camp, bowl in hand.

Katara continued on her way, and after descending a few staircases, she found Sokka. He was leaning against a stone wall overlooking the large chasm, hands clasped in front of him, posture bent, leaning heavily on his forearms, his gaze centered on the landscape. Her heart went into her throat at the tortured expression on his face and remembered the last time she had seen him like this. She absently touched the stone of her necklace at the thought and had to push her own painful memories away. Her brother needed her.

He didn't acknowledge her when she walked up and stood next to him or the bowl she placed at his elbow but it didn't deter her.

"Hey big brother," she said into the heavy silence.

"Hey," he replied.

"I brought your breakfast. You didn't finish it," she said smiling, pushing the bowl closer to him.

He looked down at it and gave her a hollow smile in return. "Thanks."

"So," she began, "what have you been up to?"

"Thinking," he said with a halfhearted shrug, staring back over the horizon.

She gave him a friendly nudge with her shoulder and an encouraging smile. "Well, that is what you do best," she answered brightly.

Sokka turned his head away, his hands suddenly clutching the stone beneath them, arms shaking.

"No, it's not," he replied through clenched teeth.

In that moment, in that tormented utterance, Katara realized there was something deeply wrong. He hadn't been acting like himself lately. The glimpses of the Sokka she knew, the sarcastic meat loving guy, had been few and far between. Recently, he had been quiet and sullen and almost avoidant. She suddenly felt a little guilty. She had been concentrating so hard on watching for treachery from Zuko, she really hadn't focused on Sokka's odd behavior.

"Sokka," she began, placing a hand gently on his shoulder, "what's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" he echoed. "What's wrong?" He wrenched his arm away and whirled on her, his voice high pitched, almost hysterical, desperate. "It was my idea and it failed!"

"What failed?"

"The invasion plan of course!"

"It wasn't your fault," she stated firmly.

The brief fire that had stirred within him snuffed out and he slumped forward back onto the wall, bent in half, his forehead touching the stone. "Tell that to Teo and Haru," he said quietly.

Katara gave him a confused look. "Huh?"

"I heard them talking about their fathers the other day, about how much they miss them, how they may never see them again. Their fathers that are now in prison because I couldn't walk away, because I couldn't follow my own advice."

"Our father is there too." It was out before Katara realized it was the wrong thing to say.

Sokka looked up, his blue eyes burning. "I _know_, and there is nothing I can do about it. All I can do is sit here and wait while Aang learns firebending from the angry jerk. I just feel so…frustrated…and useless."

"Maybe there isn't anything you or anyone can do right now, but none of this is your fault. Aang told me what happened, Azula was ready for you. It would've been hard for anyone to walk away."

Sokka turned his gaze away, looking out over the gorge. Azula had been ready for him. Until that moment when she had spoken Suki's name, he had buried the thoughts, kept them deep within himself thinking that to do otherwise would only mean she wouldn't be okay, that they wouldn't meet again. Azula tapped into that hidden fear, exploited it, pulled it out of his soul and waved it in front of him and he couldn't look away. Now, it was out there, on his mind, in his heart, and at night, when he couldn't sleep, he could hear Azula's mocking voice.

It all was slowly eating at him, not just knowing Suki and his dad were in some prison, likely bruised, beaten, but knowing that everyone had counted on him, and they were all let down. Let down because he was weak and it was tearing at him, and he knew that if he didn't do something about it soon, it would break him into pieces.

If only he could do something, anything, no matter how small or how big to rectify how he was feeling, to ease the ache that had taken up residence in his soul, anything other than just _waiting._ If only he didn't feel so helpless. If only he didn't feel bound to his failure.

Katara sighed and broke into his thoughts. "Don't blame yourself, Sokka."

"Then who should I blame? Mom for giving up her own life to protect us? Yue for sacrificing herself to return the moon to the world? Suki for having the courage to fight the Fire Nation? Dad for--"

"Sokka stop it!" Katara shouted, then shaking her head "What's gotten into you?" She asked, wringing her hands. "Look, if you want someone to blame, blame Zuko and Azula. They're the reason for everything."

Sokka clenched his teeth and agitatedly ran a hand through his hair. Had Katara even listened to him? It was his fault for falling for Azula's tricks. It was his fault that he couldn't break her to find out where Suki was. And Zuko? Other than chasing them around, being an all around jerk, betraying them at Ba Sing Se when he sided with his sister...

Something in Sokka's mind clicked, the cogs of his brain shifting and speeding up. Bit by bit, a plan began to form, and for the first time in days, he felt a little hopeful. He picked up the forgotten bowl, shoved in his chopsticks and took a bite, disregarding the fact that it was cold.

"You know what, sis. I think you may have something there."

OOO

Stuck around a camp fire listening to bad jokes, ghost stories and anecdotes about the Avatar's adventures was not Zuko's idea of fun, especially when said tales mentioned his failures in particular, so as soon as was socially appropriate, he let out a prominent yawn. Yet before he could stand and announce he was heading for bed, Sokka got to his feet, and with a backward glance, disappeared into the temple. Soon after, everyone began to disperse, heading to their beds, the Duke grabbing one last snack under Katara's watchful eye, before scurrying down the corridor.

As Zuko made his way to his room, Toph walked up beside him, gave him a hard playful punch in the arm, and a grin.

"Hey, Princey, try to keep the vibrations to a minimum tonight, would ya?" She spat on the ground near his foot and wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. "I need my beauty sleep."

He couldn't help the small twist of his lips. "I'll try," he answered.

"Good," she said while turning and heading toward her room before calling over her shoulder and giving him a nonchalant wave. "Night."

"Night," he answered, watching her go with a small shake of his head. He didn't think he'd ever figure Toph out, but she was on his short list of allies, and for that he was grateful.

Knowing he had an Avatar to train when the sun rose, and knowing that he would need to wake up extra early due to his prior disastrous morning, Zuko entered his room, intent of falling into his bed. Dragging his sleeve across his eyes, and stifling a true yawn, he completely missed the shadow that darted behind him. It was the soft click of the lock turning that shattered the silence and had the firebender spinning around on his heel, fists wreathed in flame.

Recognizing Sokka instantly, he snuffed the fire and straightened out of his attack stance.

The warrior was leaning against the door, arms crossed, blue eyes reflecting the waning moon, mouth set in a firm line and leveling an intense stare at his former enemy.

"We need to talk."

OOO

A/N: So that was ridiculously hard to write. There was tons of set-up going on in this chapter so hopefully, from this point on, the chapters will be much easier for me to get out. So hope you enjoyed and Please drop me a review and let me know what you thought.

Thanks to steamboatghost for the assistance.


	3. Ch2: Vestigial

Chapter 2: Vestigial

OOO

"We need to talk."

Zuko blinked. Brow furrowed, confused and a little disconcerted that he had altogether missed the other figure in his room, he cocked his head to the side.

"About what?"

The warrior propped against the wall blew out a harsh breath and pushed himself upright, taking a step forward, his blue eyes glinting in the soft light of the moon.

"Ba Sing Se."

The fire prince immediately stiffened, muscles pulled taut like a spring as thoughts and memories careened through him and he absently wondered if the thumping of his heart was keeping Toph awake. He sucked in a breath, forced his body to relax and reminded himself that he had known this conversation was inevitable. He knew that someone from the group would feel the need to bring up his bad decision, to ask why, to delve into his mistake but he was certain that it would have been Katara to broach the subject, mockingly, callous, another incident in which he wronged their group and he was certain it would've been done in the light of day, with the others as witnesses to his embarrassment. He didn't think it would be Sokka, alone, in the calm of the night, his voice low and curious and no hint of derision, but his expression stern and desperate and…hopeful?

"What about it?" his voice came out agitated and sharp, despite his best efforts to remain unruffled.

"Your sister," Sokka started, and then trailed off. He swallowed hard, looked away thinking it might be easier to get through the conversation without having to lock eyes with his former enemy, and opened his mouth to continue.

"Look, I know what this is about," Zuko interrupted.

Sokka looked up in spite of himself, surprised. "You do?"

"Yeah," the other boy responded, biting his lip, wondering how much to reveal, but wanting, needing, to take control of the conversation. "You're worried that when the time comes that I'll betray Aang. That I'll side with Azula again. But I know now that my place, my destiny is with the Avatar and – "

"No."

"It's not?"

"Yes. I mean, no."

"What?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Ba Sing Se."

"Not quite."

"Huh?"

Zuko's confusion was evident on his face and if Sokka didn't have so much on his mind, he would've laughed.

Instead, he plowed on. "Your transformation from being prince of the angry jerks to just being an angry jerk is nice and all but not what I wanted to talk about."

"Oh," Zuko replied, feeling foolish. "Then what…"

"When your sister infiltrated Ba Sing Se she was disguised as a Kyoshi warrior." Sokka stated and as he did, Zuko could see the visible straightening of his shoulders, and his tone, which almost had a measured, restrained quality before, was rapid and tense.

"I don't know how she got the warrior garb but I do know that the Kyoshi warriors wouldn't have given up without a fight. I just thought…hoped that maybe they had escaped. But on the Day of the Black Sun," Sokka stopped, closed his eyes, scrunching them shut to push through the painful memory, "Azula mentioned one in particular; she said she was her favorite prisoner."

He turned away, began to pace the floor, now talking more to the room at large than to Zuko, and with each step he took, each statement he made, he became more energized.

"I was thinking. She was at Ba Sing Se. You were at Ba Sing Se. She may have shared information with you about the disguises, maybe even about the prisoners. You might even know where she is. Then I could go and find her and…"

"Where who is?" Zuko asked, his annoyance increasing with the warrior's odd behavior and stream of consciousness babbling.

The exiled prince found himself pinned beneath a pair of blue eyes, frighteningly similar to those of the bitter waterbender who that had stared through him hours before.

"Suki. The leader of the Kyoshi Warriors," Sokka explained. At Zuko's blank look, the Water Tribe boy threw his hands in the air. "Didn't Azula tell you anything?"

Zuko closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No."

"No! What do you mean no?" Sokka yelled, clenching his fists at his side in his frustration. He took a step forward and poked an accusing finger into the other boy's chest. "You're supposed to know!"

"I mean no! Azula didn't tell me anything. Nothing. I have no idea what you're talking about!" Zuko answered, his voice just as loud, his own patience wearing thin, as he smacked the offending digit away.

Sokka stepped away again, his emotions threatening to overwhelm him. Zuko was _supposed_ to know. That was how the plan was _supposed_ to work. And now again, it was failing, right in front of him.

He met the annoyed golden stare with a fierce one of his own and in that moment, he realized that he should've known better than to rely on his enemy.

"Then what good are you?" he hissed before brushing past the suddenly frozen banished prince, wrenching the door open and storming out, his words ripping into Zuko in a way he neither intended nor noticed.

OOO

Even though Aang had given him the day off from firebending, it did not mean that Zuko had taken the day off from training entirely. In order to avoid any more heated arguments he had gone to a seldom used part of the temple and worked with his dao blades until the sweat rolled off him and his muscles strained with every movement.

He was sure that after his brutal workout and the paltry sleep he had gotten the night before, his exhausted body would fall into a peaceful, dreamless sleep once his weary frame hit his mat. Yet, hours later, he was still awake, watching light from the moon drift through his window and catch on the dust in the air, listening to the heavy stillness of the night, and unwillingly replaying in his mind the scenes that had led him to this point in his life.

He was certain that he would've been able to fall asleep if it hadn't been for that stupid idiot coming into his room and forcing a conversation he didn't want any part of. His flippant, exasperating words had set off some sort of unending loop of his past failures in his head, each scene, each mistake, each humiliating moment in vibrant color repeated in his mind's eye as he lay there staring at a cracked ceiling, pining for rest.

Despite tossing and turning, closing his eyes and ordering his mind to shut off already, he was unable to simply drift and with one last irritated sigh, he pushed himself up, and padded silently to his door and into the hallway.

On quiet feet he made his way to the fountain for a drink, berating himself for his inability to fall asleep, knowing the Avatar would be ready for a lesson when the sun rose and also knowing that any weakness shown on his part would be more fodder for the acid wit of the waterbending master. Moving through the silence, watching the moon cast ethereal shadows in the courtyard, he came upon the fountain and sat on the edge, swirling his fingers through the illuminated blue.

The others were asleep, resting, tucked away in their dreams, not foolishly dwelling on choices they could not change or coming up with ways to prove their loyalty.

Therein lay the root of his problem. They didn't trust him. He hardly trusted himself but realistically, trust shouldn't have mattered. He was training the Avatar firebending, making sure he would survive against Ozai, that he would end the war, restore balance and that was all that was supposed to matter. But for some unknown reason, an ache, a desire, a wish, burned in him to earn that elusive trust, the signal with the eyes, the hand on the arm, the quiet laugh that was so ingrained and shared among the others it was second nature. But firebending was all he had to offer and so far, it had not been enough.

If only he wasn't bound to his past.

Head bowed, black disheveled hair falling into his eyes, he cupped his hands in the water and brought the element to his lips. Though the liquid was cool on his dry throat, it did nothing to soothe his frayed nerves. Scrubbing his damp hands across his eyes and cheeks, determined now to go back to his room and fight his mind for rest, he stood. In one last sweeping glance of his surroundings, he stopped when he caught movement across the courtyard.

Squinting, he could make out the lanky outline of the Water Tribe sibling, perched on a precipice, half obscured in the darkness cast by a piece of stonework. Zuko could make out a low hum of conversation and curious, he crept closer, and as he did, as absurd as it sounded, he was certain that the boy was talking to the moon.

The voice Zuko had heard a few hours before involved in brash gloating, and bad humor now sounded soft and broken as it fluttered on the breeze.

"I can't fix what I did. I realize that now. But I can change what happens next. Azula was ready for us. She was ready for me. But next time, when I go back to the Fire Nation, I won't allow for any liabilities." There was a short pause and Zuko almost expected the moon to join in the heartfelt conversation but Sokka continued. "I thought Zuko knew where she was but I was wrong. It doesn't matter though. _Someone_ out there knows and I'm going to find them."

He looked up, the spirit reflecting in the blue depths of his eyes. "I can't lose anyone else. I lost you and my mom and I just can't…" his voice trailed off.

Feeling as if he was now intruding upon an intimate conversation, Zuko backed away as quietly as he could.

"It's not nice to eavesdrop," Toph's voice cut through the night.

Zuko jumped, grabbing at his tunic above his heart, and staggered backward, until his back hit the wall of the temple.

"Toph!" he gasped.

"Don't worry, Princey. I won't tell if you won't."

"What are you doing out here?" he hissed while trying to regain his composure.

"Can't sleep. Too many vibrations. You people are much louder than you think." She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. "What are you doing out here? Don't you have an Avatar to train tomorrow?"

Zuko pushed his hair out of his eyes and frowned. "Can't sleep, but you knew that already."

Toph gave him a grin. "Yeah, sorry about ratting you out earlier. I just thought it might get Sugar Queen off your back. I don't know all the details about what you did but I've never seen her hold a grudge this long."

He didn't answer, just gave her a noncommittal grunt.

"So what were you and Snoozles talking about earlier?"

He shrugged. "Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar," she deadpanned.

He frowned, his annoyance level rising again. "How do you know we even talked?"

"Oh come on, you should know by now I'm the greatest earthbender in the world. I knew Sokka was in there all along."

"You knew the whole time? You couldn't have warned me?" Zuko asked, aggravation lacing his tone.

"We're not on that level yet, Princey. Besides, I wanted to see how it would turn out." Her playful tone softened and she bowed her head a little lower to hide the concern she was not used to showing. "I'm…I'm kind of worried about him, ok?"

"Is that why you are out here?"

She blushed. "I told you, too many vibrations. Anyway, you owe me." She pointed down to her dirt encrusted toes. "Burned feet, remember? So spill it or I go running to Sugar Queen saying that you've been up at night plotting against us."

Zuko gave a weary sigh, wondering if he'd ever get to sleep. "Fine. He asked me if I knew where some girl was being held." He saw Toph open her mouth to ask but he cut her off. "And no, I don't know."

Toph blew out a breath. "I can't believe him," she said quietly. "I knew he was upset about what happened on the Day of the Black Sun, about what Azula said, but I didn't think he'd go so far as to think about leaving us."

The exile, still angry about the past day in general, and the two encounters with Sokka that left him bruised and questioning his own place, shrugged. "So?"

Toph's head snapped up and her features hardened. "I know you're new here so let me explain it to you," she began her voice sharp. "Aang may be the soul of our group and Katara the heart but Sokka's the brain. He's always the one that figures things out and keeps us on the ground. When we're in trouble, he gets us out. I know he may be goofy and loud and not too graceful but without him we can't function. So for him to be this mixed up, this..this irrational, well, we're in trouble."

Zuko cast a glance over his shoulder at the boy, now curled up on the stone, sleeping in the caress of the moon, and studied him with a slightly different perspective.

Toph threw her head back, let out a loud yawn and stretched her arms over her head.

"Time for bed," she stated, after checking to make sure Sokka had finally fallen asleep, then turned and headed back to her room.

Zuko watched her go and for some reason felt compelled to ask. "What are you?"

She turned and gave him a wide impish grin. "Haven't you figured it out?" she asked before pounding her foot and sending Zuko sprawling to the ground with a well place boulder assault. "I'm the muscle."

Zuko managed to get upright as Toph left, brushing the dirt off as he went and opted for leaning against the wall, knees to his chest. What was he? The weapon? The blemish? He absently reached up and touched the hard, rippled flesh surrounding his eye. The scar? He let his hand fall to the dirt. No, he didn't even rank. He was nothing.

It shouldn't have bothered him but some small part of his subconscious bristled at the fact that he was held in almost no regard. Didn't they realize what he had given up to join them? He wanted to be trusted; he wanted to be a part of the group. It was becoming harder and harder to convince himself otherwise when he saw the camaraderie, the concern, the laughter, the affection.

But how to earn it? Aang trusted him and Toph was beginning to do so, yet to sway the whole group, he knew he'd have to earn Katara's. She was the heart after all though he was pretty certain he could win everyone over and she'd still be caustic. No, he'd go for the next in command.

He shifted his gaze back to Sokka who lay sprawled out on the stone, blissfully asleep, and a plan began to form.

He might not have known how Azula had gotten the disguises, or that she had taken the Kyoshi warriors prisoner, but he did know where prisoners were held. He knew where she _could_ be and maybe that was enough.

OOO

Sokka dragged his body to his room, sword trailing behind him, leaving a thin line in the dirt. He had fallen asleep talking to Yue again and now, at the hour before dawn, was hauling himself to his bed.

Once he opened the door, he flopped onto the mattress, only vaguely aware of the sound of crunching paper beneath his body. Fishing around for it, wondering who had left him a note, he finally managed to get it out from underneath him and brought it up to his face. Squinting his tired eyes, he read the quick message, and in those brief lines, a little of his hope was restored.

OOO

A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews. They really do spur me on. So please, leave some more and maybe I'll get faster!


	4. Ch3: Firebending Possum Chickens

Zuko had risen with the sun despite the measly amount of sleep he had gotten the night before and the strange dreams that constantly plagued him, and he had made it to the designated training area before Aang. With the sun rising above the horizon and Agni singing through his veins, the firebender stripped to the waist, stretched and warmed his joints in the cool morning air, and began moving through a series of complex forms.

Since his meeting with the firebending masters, Zuko had found his movements smoother, quicker, more powerful and forms he used to struggle with now came as second nature. Frustration and anger were no longer part of his normal routine, just breathing and concentration. Though the physical exertion was still present, his fatigued body evidence, he no longer felt the emotional drain, the pressure to get it right, the fear of failing. It had all dissipated, burned off like fog in the sunlight, and his way was clear and peaceful.

Without stopping he moved into a master level series and closing his eyes, focusing on his movements and his breath, he powered through each form. Muscles rippling beneath his pale skin, sweat sliding down his spine, he twisted, kicked, flipped and punched while flames danced around him, heating the air, displaying the inner fire of their handler in radiant oranges and reds.

With one last strike, a yell, and a flourish, he stopped, a triumphant smirk touching his lips. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes on the exhale, and choked on air. He didn't realize he had an audience.

Aang and Katara were standing, watching him. Aang wore an open expression of admiration and Katara had abandoned her scowl usually reserved just for him, and was now looking at him with wide eyed appreciation.

Zuko scratched the back of his neck, reddening under the scrutiny. "What?" he finally asked.

Aang started clapping, his face split in a wide grin. "That was amazing, Sifu Hotman."

Zuko allowed his gaze to settle briefly on Katara and when gold met blue, she stiffened her face setting back into its customary frown.

"It was good if you like that sort of flashy, no substance bending." She turned on her heel and marched back to the courtyard. "Show off," she added under her breath.

Aang either ignored the comment or missed it altogether. He eagerly bounded up to his teacher and swatted the older teen on the shoulder. "So, Sifu Hotman, what am I learning today?"

"Well, Aang," Zuko began, wiping the sweat from his brow, "I've been thinking. If you're going to defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes, we really need to up your training."

Aang's jaw dropped and he visibly slumped forward. "Up my training?" he squeaked. "I already train from sunrise," he said, sweeping one arm toward the sun still hanging low in the sky, "to sunset. How can I do anymore?"

"There's always more you can do. Like studying."

"Studying?" Aang asked, scratching his arrow.

"I can write the forms down for you and at night you can look over them, memorize them, and practice them during the day."

The Avatar's posture wilted even further. "You mean like homework," he said scrunching his features in disgust.

"We're wasting valuable daylight," Zuko stated cutting off the forthcoming argument. "We can discuss this later."

Aang sighed. "Yes, Sifu Hotman."

"And quit calling me that!"

After hours of practicing, Aang was relieved when Zuko called for a meditation break. The sun was high, past midday, when the airbender plopped to the ground, stomach growling, kicking up a cloud of dust. He maneuvered his weary limbs into a meditative pose and let out a loud sigh before closing his eyes.

Zuko had been relentless in his training, pushing Aang into advanced series, modeling movements before having Aang repeat it several times until it was embedded in his muscle memory. While Aang practiced, Zuko hastily scribbled down the poses on parchment until he had collected several pages for the Avatar to study.

Aang didn't know why Zuko had suddenly become fervent in his teachings. He could only guess at the cause. Maybe it was because they had missed yesterday, or because of Katara's acidic comments about 'dragon dances' and 'vacation time.' Whatever it was, Aang was not looking forward to an evening of tender joints and studying by the fire. He took little solace in the fact that he knew Zuko would be just as sore as he was come the next day.

He grimaced as he stomach gurgled again, begging for food, but remained sitting, determined to concentrate. He heard the sound again and quickly realized it wasn't just his stomach making noise. Opening one eye, he cast a sideways glance at the firebender and stifled a laugh.

Zuko had fallen asleep, warm in the sun, hunched over, black hair falling into his face and snoring.

Aang opened his other eye, looked around the area for witnesses then taking the opportunity for what it was, tentatively stood. Hands clasped behind his back, softly whistling and casting furtive glances, he backed up slowly, cautiously. Once he was far enough away, he turned on his heel and ran back to the courtyard, intent on lunch.

OOO

Sokka stretched and yawned in the sunlight, squinting his eyes in the sudden brightness as he emerged from the corridor of the air temple. Sweeping the courtyard with a glance, he found no one, though off in the distance he could feel the occasional rumble of earth that indicated Toph was sparring with someone, probably Katara or Haru. Shrugging, slightly grateful that no one was around, he rummaged through the supplies, found some dried fish, and began munching while occasionally washing the salty meat down with a mouthful of water.

Once finished, he wiped his hands on his shirt, and stood intent on finding Zuko, and continuing their conversation from the day before.

He took a step toward the area where he knew Aang and Zuko usually practiced before noticing an orange streak headed his way.

"Hi Sokka," the blur called cheerfully, immediately alerting Sokka to its identity.

"Hey Aang," he replied. "Where is everybody?"

"I'm not sure," the airbender stated before ravenously digging into a bag and grabbing a papaya, "but I think Katara went to go find some food with the Duke and Teo and Zuko is back that way sleep…er meditating." Aang said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder before biting into the juicy fruit.

"Maybe I should go check on him," Sokka offered.

Aang gave a flippant wave of his hand. "Yeah, you should do that," he replied around a mouthful of fruity pulp, not looking up from his meal, juice dribbling down his chin. He dove back into the papaya and didn't notice Sokka heading off in the direction of the training ground.

When Sokka arrived, it was easy for him to tell that Zuko was not meditating. The firebender laid on his side, pale skin turning pink in the sun, eyelashes fluttering with each deep and even breath. Zuko let out a light snore and Sokka could not stop the loud snicker that escaped at the sight of his usually tense and edgy former adversary fast asleep, curled in the dirt.

At the sound, Zuko groggily opened his eyes, ran the back of his hand across them to wipe away the clinging sleep, and sat up.

Sokka reached into his shirt and pulled out the scrap of paper, brandishing it in the tired firebender's face.

"Got your note," he said simply.

Zuko brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked around, bewildered. Had he really fallen asleep while training? He gazed back at Sokka and the parchment taking up most of his field of vision.

"Huh?"

The warrior pushed the note further toward Zuko's face. "The note," he stated.

Zuko looked around again. "Where's Aang?" he asked, still slightly dazed, voice muffled by the paper in his face.

"Eating. Ok, now focus on the note."

"The note," he echoed.

"Yes. This note," Sokka said, waving it furiously. "You said you had more to tell me. That you had an idea."

"Oh! The note!"

"Glad you finally caught up," the swordsman said tucking the paper away and crossing his arms. "So, what's this idea?"

"I don't know where your friend is being held."

"We've established that," Sokka muttered.

"But I do know," Zuko continued, ignoring the snide comment, "where she could be."

OOO

"Don't worry, Pebbles," Toph said, slapping Haru hard on the back, causing a cloud of dust to drift in the air, as they walked back to the gang's camp, "you did pretty good. And remember not even all the contestants from Earth Rumble Six working together could knock me down."

Haru winced as he rubbed a tender spot on his back, taking little comfort in Toph's encouragement, after being beaten, literally, by a twelve year old blind girl. "Yeah, I know. Sokka tells that story all the time."

The master earthbender's cheeks pinked. "He does?"

"Yeah, I've heard it three or…" he stopped off, sniffing the air as they entered the courtyard. "What smells so good?"

Katara looked up from the cooking fire and gave him a grin. "The Duke caught several fish for lunch. Want some?"

"Sure!" he answered, his stomach growling loudly.

"Toph?"

"Yeah, ok."

Katara bit her lip as she portioned the meat out onto a plate. "Someone should go find Sokka and Zuko and tell them lunch is ready."

"They won't be hard to find. Sokka went to go talk to Zuko after he fell asleep meditating," Aang piped from where he lay in Appa's fur.

That caught Toph's attention. What would those two still have to talk about? Zuko had said that he didn't know where Suki was. She thought the issue resolved. Unless, something had changed.

"I'll go," she offered and without waiting for a reply, she strode out of camp.

OOO

"So where is this prison?" Sokka asked, now sitting in the dirt across from Zuko, his expression eager.

"Near the fire nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. It shouldn't take us too long to get there and back."

"Great! We'll take Appa and-"

"No!" Zuko interjected. Then in a calmer, quieter voice added, "The others need an escape method, just in case." He swallowed. "Azula."

Sokka nodded. "You're right."

"We'll use the war balloon. I'll get it ready. You gather the supplies. We'll leave before dawn."

Zuko stood, brushing the dirt from his pants, glad that they now had a plan in place and that he had an opportunity to prove his loyalty.

"Wait," Sokka said, stopping Zuko's departure, in a moment of stark clarity, "as badly as I want to go, I don't know if I can justify to myself risking Aang's firebending. He'll need it to defeat the Fire Lord. If I got Suki back, just to lose the war in the end…" he trailed off.

"I've already thought about Aang's training," Zuko replied with a small smirk. "I came up with this." He handed one of his earlier sketches to the water tribesman.

Sokka took the paper, scratched his head, turned the paper over and looked back to the smug firebender.

"Aang's going to learn firebending from a possum-chicken?" he asked looking at the drawing, turning it in different directions, head tilted to the side.

"It's not a possum-chicken!" Zuko snapped snatching the parchment away. "It's a firebending form."

"Oh," Sokka said tapping his chin. "Is that the Chicken Dance?"

Zuko gave Sokka a dark look but before he could bite off a scathing remark he was interrupted.

"Hey guys! Lunch!" Toph yelled, waving from a few feet away.

"Be right there!" Sokka answered. He looked back over to his companion. "Hey, uh, let's just keep this between ourselves. I don't want the others to know. They have enough to worry about."

Zuko nodded. "I understand."

Unbeknownst to them both, Toph was already worrying because she had heard every word.

A/N: Things that have happened to tomato since this was last updated

had her program at her job be shut down and be forced to take another position

found out she was pregnant

had two computers absolutely die and lost much info

watched the avatar finale and actually teared up a little

Currently, tomato is working 40 hours week, being a mother of a two year old, five months pregnant and freelance writing on the side. So, that means, that this fic will be updated when time permits. But thanks to everyone who has stuck with me thus far. I promise to try hard to update as much as possible.

So please review. I'll go fast if you do.


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